Fender American Series 50th Anniversary Stratocaster

made supposedly only for 2004.has a mildly figured ash body,(3 piece on mine) maple neck,custom shop 54 pickups, tweed case with commemorative logo. also has engraved logo on back of neck plate .The guitar isnt that much more than a regular American series strat so for what ya get its a decent price.so i give it a 9 here.

I play mostly classic rock in a cover band.i use mesa boogie nomad 100 or my triaxis rack setup. i know evryones been hyping this guitar because of its pick-ups,but i gotta tell ya .there damn good pick-ups. its sounds like a vintage instrument. and the tone controls actually work in conjunction with them.this is the only strat ive used that i can use the bridge Pick-up alone.without getting the ice pick tone i get with my other strat.(93 strat plus) the combination of ash and maple work perfect with the pick-ups.i love the tone of this guitar .it smokes my strat plus which has lace sensors(gold).its alittle noisy but ive been taming strat noise for 25 years,so im gettin good at it.i had my coice between this one and the deluxe,and i cose this because it was more pure strat tone. also to be honest i had a 57 reissue ordered in white blonde ash. it was gonna be another month or so till it showed up.then the two anniversary strats showed up. the deluxe sounded a little to processed and the gold hard ware looked cheesy to me.i hate gimmicks and thats what the s1 thing feels and looks ,ike to me. my strat plus has doodad gimmicks tbx ,trem setter etc so i dont another one with gimmicks thats why i had ordered the 57 reissue,i wanted classic strat tone..the anniversary model has the same things i wanted in a strat ie: ash body ,maple neck, vintage pickups.if only it came in white blonde...

action was a bit too high and made it tough to play faster runs smoothly. i use 10 gauge strings and do my own setups. so the first thing i did was change the strings and set it up. now it plays great,like a strat should. almost as good as my ash tele,but not quite. i'll play it for a while longer to get the bugs out and tweak it a bit.the finish is nice. too bad it has three pieces . i would prefer one or even two but hey its not that expensive of a guitar. No marks or visible flaws anywhere. neck wood was a little bright .i would have liked a more vintage reissue glaze to go along with the 50's type vibe this guitar is supposed to have.but it is a beautiful instrument

ITS A STRAT .THERE INDESTRUCTABLE....well almost.

heard they suck,but ive never tried em so n/a for this spot.

been playing 25 years.full time for the past 17 or so. have one other strat,a 93 strat plus .also have a new ash tele. Gibson les paul classic ,and a custom. marshalls, etc etc. i have quite a bit of gear. and ive been at this for quite some time.playing clubs and teaching.I can honestly say this is without a doubt the nicest start oi have ever owned ,and i had quite a few. looks beautiful and has a very warm usable tone in all pick up positions.get one before its too late.

In most regards, this is a 2004 American Series Stratocaster with the following distinctions: nicely grained ash body in classic 2-color sunburst (not one piece, according to the literature, but in 2 weeks I haven't been able to find the seam), single ply white pickguard (much thicker than the original '50s guards), and three Custom Shop '54 pickups. Neck is maple with the normal satin finish, 22 frets and staggered-height tuners; controls the usual vol - tone - tone, the second tone control being the modern "no-load" control which has a detent just before "10" that removes the pot from the circuit when engaged. Modern 2-post tremolo bridge. This guitar is not a vintage reissue, as some folks have seemed to expect, but more a tribute to the original '54 Stratocaster in the form of a modern Strat.

In the numerical rating for this category, I give it a '9' rather than '10' only because they specify "tons of features" as the criterion for the highest rating; while it can't be said to have tons, it has all the features I want in a Stratocaster, and well done too.

The pickups, unlike the standard American Series, don't feature a reverse wind/reverse polarity middle unit, so you get no hum cancelling in positions 2 and 4. Having grown up on old-style Strats, this is no defect as far as I'm concerned. A little hum is a small price to pay for tones this good.

The music I play includes various rock styles, with tinges of blues, folk, and country at times. About the only genres that fall under the heading of "rock and roll" that I don't play are thrash, death, or nu-netal. Over the years, I've found Strats to be the most versatile instruments for my needs, and this one is about perfect. With one exception, all the pickup positions serve up classic Strat tones. Actually, the "exception" is a classic Strat tone too - that spiky, over-bright bridge pickup sound. Many Strat players find the bridge pickup tends to be nearly-unusable on its own, but on the other hand it's an integral part of the position 2 "quack tone", which this guitar really excels at.

An ideal quack is meaty but bright and biting, with a complex midrange and a lot of sparkle - and that's what the 50th Anniversary gives you in spades. The other positions are great too; the neck pickup is throaty and full, the middle has that acoustic-like transparency (also with plenty of bite) that's equally suited to rhythm and lead, and the position 4 neck/mid combo is full, clucky, and defined. They all exhibit that crytalline, airy character that great Strats are known for.

I've used this guitar through a Hot Rod Deluxe, MESA Boogie Maverick combo, Trace Elliot Velocette, and Pro Junior and it sounds terrific through all of them. That biting attack really works well with the distortion channels on the HRDlx and Boogie.

In a word, this thing just sings.

As it came out of the case, the action was a bit on the high side for my taste - which means it was pretty high, as I'm not a fan of extremely low action. Since the first thing I do with a new guitar when I get it home is switch to a heavier (10-52) set of strings, I figured I'd take care of the action issue afterward, since changing gauges nearly always necessitates a neck tweak. About a half-turn on the truss rod was all it needed; currently it plays very well.

The finish is gorgeous, and with the heavily grained ash body makes for a beautiful guitar. The neck is well-seated, with no gaps on either side of the neck pocket. Pickup height was perfect - for my tastes, I couldn't have set it better myself.

The only quibble I have concerns the nut - just thinking about using the wang bar is enough to throw the guitar badly out of tune due to strings (particularly the G) binding in the nut slots. Even after lubricating it with a teflon-based gel, tuning up the G string often results in an audible "ping" as the tension builds on the headstock side of the string until it suddenly lets go. To be fair, I do use heavier strings than the .009s it was set up with at the factory. But one of the features Fender touted most at the inception of the American Series was the "detailed nut work" - wishful thinking, IMO.
Before I'll be able to use the tremolo, the nut will have to be replaced.

As others have said in this regard, it's a Strat. I expect no problems with it; American-made Strats (outside of the late '70s) have never given me any reason to doubt their toughness.

I rarely gig without a backup guitar, but for reasons of string durability rather than the guitar itself. Strats, and Fenders in general, are superbly gig-worthy and promise years of failure-free service.

I have not had great experiences with Fender customer service. A new Hot Rod Deluxe I bought last year had a defective speaker; I took it to the repair center in March. It's now late August and the replacement speaker JUST ARRIVED. On the other hand, they have eventually rectified any problems I've had in the past - they're just not very quick about it.

I've been playing Strats for 32 years. Over this time I've owned dozens of them; currently I have 14. This is without doubt the best new Strat I've ever bought (and I have some nice ones). As soon as I heard that Fender was making a 50th Anniversary, it was a foregone conclusion that it would be only a matter of time before it was coming home with me.

This guitar has it all - great looks, great action, and most of all, great, vintage sound. It's the sound I hear in my head when I imagine an idealized Strat tone.

It'd be nice to be able to afford the Custom Shop version (a true reissue), but that's a little out of my league. (3 - 4 thousand bucks for a solid-body guitar without binding, exotic bookmatched tops, or elaborate inlay strikes me as insane, anyway.) I really didn't consider the 50th Anniversary Deluxe version, preferring a basic Strat without weird pickups or superfluous switching options - plus the gold hardware looks ugly to me.

The one and only thing I'd change, if I could, would be the neck profile. It's a little on the skinny side, even as compared to recent American Series and American Standard necks, let alone a true '50s baseball bat. Outside of that, this guitar is about as perfect as I can imagine it being. If something were to happen to it, I believe I'd have to sell off a couple of the remaining 13 and get another one.

I think any Stratocaster fiend would be overjoyed with the 50th Anniversary American Series. I sure am!

2004 Made in USA
22 medium jumbo frets
Volume, tone, no-load tone (removes cap from circuit at the 10 setting), 5-way selector
SSS
Custom '54 pickups. I don't know if these are exactly the same as the aftermarket Custom Shop '54 pickups, but Fender says they are of the same specs as the pickups on the Custom Shop 50th Anniversary Stratocaster.
Maple neck with walnut skunk stripe on back. Ash body.
Polyurethane gloss 2-tone sunburst body and clear satin poly on neck.
American series tremolo.
Non-locking Fender-Schaller tuners.
Modern C profile 25.5" scale neck.
Special 50th Anniversary G&G tweed case. Mine came with the 50th Deluxe accessory kit, oddly enough. I got my dealer to provide me with the standard American Series accessory pack.

I bought this to cover the classic rock stuff I like as well as some trashy stuff. By this, I mean CCR, Hendrix, Pixies, Nirvana, Weezer, etc. It seems to do these styles quite well.

I usually run it straight into a 30W Behringer Vintager GM110 analog modelling amp. Sometimes, I use my pedals, which are: BOSS DS-1 Distortion => Electro Harmonix Small Clone Analog Chorus => Dunlop Crybaby 535Q wah => AKAI Headrush delay/looper.

Make no mistake, these pickups are not noiseless and the middle pickup is not reverse wound/reverse polarity. So, there is a mild hum in all 5 switch positions. The hum is not really noticeable on clean settings. On dirtier settings, the hum is more pronounced, but the sounds are louder and more distorted and I don't really notice. Overll, the hum isn't bad.

This guitar can be very, very, very bright if you want it to be. The no-load tone control for the bridge can give you the direct bridge pickup sound. However, the neck pickup can be beautifully round and bell-like. The tone control can really warm things up. This guitar can cop many tones. The pickups are low output, but turning up the gain can help you cover many styles.

Did I mention bell-like? I haven't heard much quack yet, but I am learning what it sounds like.

I wish Harmony Central would separate adjustable things like action from this category. Too many people don't like factory setups and just give low marks. The rest of the guitar might be fine, but people can give it a 2 in this category because the action was "total crap." I have to give a number here, so I will not punish the finish with the setup problems severely.

Anyway, this guitar was setup fairly well. By no means perfect to the default settings, but rather close considering the transit via UPS. There is some buzzing on the low E that I haven't tried to fix. It might be a simple neck relief thing.

Also, there was a string misalignment that I recklessly attempted to fix the wrong way. It was suggested to me on the Fender Discussion Page (FDP) Forum to loosen the neck and force it to a new position to improve the alginment. The theory was that it may have shift during transit. Actually, the problem was fixed by budging the saddles towards one side.

The pickups were essentially set to factory specs. A decent starting point for many, but I imagine I'll lower them eventually.

The ash body looks seamless. Fender says it's at least 2 pieces but I can't find the joint anywhere. The grain is swirly with maybe 2 unattractive marks that are noticeable close up.

Either the pickguard or the bridge mounting posts are misalgined. I can't figure out how this happens since I thought that the holes were all CNC drilled. Anyway, the flexibility in the saddle design compensates for this.

The neck is awesome. Smooth and no frets poking out. There is hardly any grain to the maple but it looks nice. I hope this finish holds up because it is a nice feel. The neck is also more substantial than my Squier. I like it.

One of the strap button screws was not seated and may be stripped.

The tuners are solid and the guitar stays in tune. I am amazed at the tremolo. It is so much better than the one on my Squier. With the Squier, just putting the arm in the trem would put a few strings out of tune. This bridge returns to pitch well. I thought I would instantly put in another 2 trem springs but I don't think it's necessary. 3 springs gives a more loosey-goosey fell that I am starting to like.

The neck pocket is not "clean." There are remnants of at least 2 stickers (w/barcode) and some grease. I don't know where the grease came from, but I hear that the sticker problem is common.

This seems more substantial and solid than my old Strat Pak Squier (1996). That old guitar has held up well, so I bet this one will do just as well if not better.

The hardware seems good so far. The tuners are Fender/Schaller and the German stuff is supposedly top notch. I may replace them with the Fender/Schaller locking tuners to help my change strings faster. The stock tuners keep tune well. I do have a strap button screw than isn't tight. I am not going to try and force it for fear of stripping the hole.

The finish is polyurethane and should last. I am going to baby this guitar because I wouldn't want cracks or chips in poly! It would be a headache to fix.

I haven't dealt with Fender directly as they have no officialy 'Net method of interacting with customers. The documentation on the Mr. Gearhead site isn't always up-to-date.

I have found the Fender Discussion Page (FDP) Forum to be helpful.

I also must give kudos to Guitar Trader. They can meet any price yet throw at them and will help make things right if there is a problem.

I have been playing off and on since 1993. Mostly off. I don't gig and have never been in a band. I have the gear I listed in the Sound category as well as a Yamaha F-33something acoustic and I still have all the stuff from my 1996 Strat Pak.

I wish I asked Guitar Trader to open up the box and check it out before sending. That could have saved them and me some trouble. This guitar came with the American Deluxe 50th Anniversary accesory kit by mistake. They might have also spotted the string misalignment.

I don't think I would buy this again. Don't read much into that statement. I wanted an American Series strat and was ready to get a blue one for $610. I read some great stuff about this guitar and did the math. It's a good deal with some limited edition stuff that may be worth something one day. If it went missing, I would probably be covered by the jack of all trades Heritage or Carvin I will soon buy.

I didn't like 2 and 3-tone sunbursts much before, but this is growing on me. I am going to call it "Toasty" because it reminds me of freezer French Toast from Aunt Jemima. The neck is great. This is my first maple fretboard and I love the feel.

This guitar makes me play in a way I'am not used to. It's just so snappy and alive. It's got personality.

I think this guitar is shielded, but it would be nice if Fender would take an extra step or two and really quiet these things.

Overall, the package is great. It might not be my main guitar for long, but it will certainly get attention.

highly figured 2 piece solid ash body, slightly flamed maple neck, 3 custom shop '54 pickups, single ply pickguard, fancy 1954-2004 anniversary neck plate, fancy G & G tweed, plush lined case, otherwise, it is a typical strat..this is one BEAUTIFUL guitar

the sound reminds me of the old strats i used to hear at jam sessions in the 1960's...very RAW, i love it !!...it can do anything i want it to do...there are no limitations

straight out of the box, it plays PERFECTLY...the finish is flawless...i am VERY particular....i could find NOTHING wrong with this guitar

c'mon...what can happen to a strat???...i used to have one that i literally would throw in the air and let bounce on the stage...then i would whip it with my guitar strap !!...for real !!...it got scratched, and dented, as you would expect, but it never broke and never let me down....i have passed that stage of musical developement, so would expect that this guitar will be passed down to my great, great grandchildren

i had trouble with my old strat's case...fender replaced it...i also lost the little spring in the tremolo cavity...fender replaced it...so far, no problems with this one, nor do expect any...if i should have an unfortunate experience, i am sure the local fender dealers will back it up as they have always done in the past

imagine my surprise when i walked in my door and this strat was waiting for me in my living room....seems my wife was smitten by the guitar when she saw it at the eric clapton crossroads festival in dallas..since i was born in 1954, she thought this would be the most appropriate gift in the world...my god !! ...she was right...i could never have expected such a wonderful gift...man, i love my wife !!..i have been playing professionally most of my adult life,at times 25 gigs a month !!...i have never played or owned a strat that was this freakin' cool...i own too many guitars,prs signature, tele's, martins, etc..you name it...this is the epitomy of what a strat should be....it is AWESOME and i would recommend this model of guitar to anyone for any style of music..simply put...I LOVE THIS GUITAR !!!

As you would expect in a typical American, but the 50th Anniversary only comes with a maple neck, highly resonant ash body, the marvelous "custom shop '54 pickups," and a tweed case with 50th Anniversary insignia. All in all, a great value for the money. I give this category a 9 only because there are other features some players may prefer, such as locking tremelo, roller-nuts, fancy pickguards, etc., but it has everything I need.

I LOVE the sound of this guitar. I have owned two other Strats, a big apple (double humbuckers) and, currently, an American Deluxe (pre-S-1 pickup system). After playing long enough, developing my ears, and sampling enough crappy and quality guitars, I realized I that I wanted a full-sounding, highly resonant, "Stratty" sounding Stratocaster, with the signature Strat "quack," not a muddy or dead-sounding tone trapped in the Strat's comfort contoured body. So, I set off looking for the "right Strat for me," thinking seriously about a '57 Vintage Reissue model.

This guitar is exactly what I was looking for. I play her through a Top Hat Club Royale (2x12) and a Victoria 518 (Tweed Champ clone) as well as a Vox Pathfinder with Reverb (SS practice amp), and I was shocked to find that the "old school" pickups are virtually silent in the tube amps, with just a little more hum in the SS amp.

Honestly, I haven't found a bad sound through the 5-setting pickup switch. Keep in mind, it's a Strat, if you're trying to emulate a Les Paul, you're barking up the wrong tree. Similarly, if I need a Tele honk, I grab my Tele. That said, this guitar is dark enough to cover rock, alternative and blues and bright enough for surf, country and soloing. Sounds amazingly resonant unplugged, crisp, clean and bright on clean settings, and it screams (with definition) when painted with overdrive. I give it a 10 for that quality vintage Strat tone I was looking for.

I bought my 50th from the guys at Wildwood Guitars in Colorado, and it was a pleasure to work with them. Thanks Steve! True to their description, the guitar came perfectly setup, no buzzing, with low action comparable to my Tele setup.

I primarily use 10s, but I'm keeping the 9s on this one, as Fender intended, because it's so easy to bend and sounds great even without the extra heft. The factory finish was near flawless. So far, I haven't found a single defect. The 2-piece body is perfectly matched, with only slight changes in coloration indicating where the pieces meet.

The neck is a pleasure to play. Although I love my 52 RI Tele, with its nitro finished, fat, U-shaped neck and vintage fret wire, the 50th's poly coated modern neck, with medium jumbo frets is much easier to play. Moreover, the fretwork is top notch, with nicely rounded ends.

Time will tell, as with any guitar. Seems rock solid, great finish, depdndable. I took off the factory strap buttons and added the dunlop locking system to fit my well-worn leather strap with the locking system. Strings break, stuff happens, always bring a backup to a gig -- or a living room.

No idea. If I ever had a problem, I would seek out the best local guy to fix it.

I have been playing for six years and have been through plenty of gear in that short time. Once you've played a truly quality instrument or through a great amp, you know when you have found your match. I have parted with plenty of guitars over the years, but I have no intention of selling my 52 RI Tele (with Fralin bridge pickup), my Les Paul (with P-90s), and it looks like this 50th Anniversary. This guitar is exactly what I was searching for, and I would try and find another if anything happened to it. Like anything else, quality varies in every instrument, so compare as much as you can, play the guitar yourself or, if you're just starting out or don't have access to the guitar, have someone you TRUST test and compare it for you. I give it a 9 only because it is a medium weight guitar (likely due to the resonant ash) and I have played lighter alder Strats. The 50th Anniversary American Series Stratocaster is an amazing value for the money!

Hey, just the usual stuff with the addition of Custom Shop 54 pickups, and a 50th Anniversary neck plate, plus the Tweed case with 50th Anniversary emblem embroidered in the cloth. Maple board, excellent 2 color sunburst.

This strat has absolutely PURE strat tone. No hum cancelling position; was thinking about replacing the middle PUP with a reverse wound, but it sounds too good to mess with. I use it with a Reverend Hellhound, and it works for me. I have compared it to a newer one that the store I purchased from received; mine sounds better, and is lighter in weight.

Factory set up was good; I lowered the action a little, because I like it slinky! I have some tendonitus, so I have to have it low. No complaints in this department; the 2 color 'burst is beautiful! I wish the neck was just a little larger, though.

I had a little problem with the input jack at first, but the dealer (Guitar Gallery in Birmingham, Al.) took care of it. Other than that, it seems completely trustworthy.

I have owned tons of Fender gear, but have never dealt with them on an issue.

Been playing since 1964. I play semi-professionally, 2 to 6 times a month. I have had quite a few (around 12) strats over the years; this one sounds as good as any, better than most. I also use a PRS McCarty; I pretty much have it covered with the 2 of them.

I rank it high in this category, not because of the number of features, but because it has the features needed (and some more..the tremolo)

Great clean sound with sustain and a certain "thickness" too. I play primarily blues, (good)old time rock and a little country (sorry!) and pop-rock(sorry again!!) too

This guitar was bought in the best american music shop I know and set uo by a real master: Larry Miletich from Music One Workshop in Kalispell, Montana. It is the second guitar I have sendt all across the ocean from USA to Denmark, and I trust this great guy completely. He did a complete set-up on the guitar and even polished the frets!

It is a Fender american build - off course it can stand the use and I trust it completely, though I take another guitar with me, but thats for different playing-styles (humbucker, distortion and stuff) and in case of string breakage

I have never tried that, but might have a problem because I imported the guitar myself

Having played on and of since the sixties and now deeply into the blues, this my 4th electric guitar will be ranked very high in my little collection - probably the most usefull of the all.

2004 Made in USA Stratocaster. Essentially a regular old American Series Strat with an ash body finished in 2 color sunburst, sinlge ply pickguard, Custom Shop '54 pickups and a tweed case with a 50th Anniversary logo.

The stuff I wanted in a strat, without having to mod, build my own, or go custom shop. I would have preferred slot head tuners, but the regular ones work well.

Sound? It sounds exactly like a good strat should, bright, clear, articular. The in-between settings have lots of cluck, and the tone controls are well voiced. The center pickup isn't RW/RP, but I'm not a gain-monster, so again, it doesn't bother me.

The factory setup was exactly what it should have been, floating bridge and 0.009s. I had the guy at the shop bring the bridge down and set it up for 0.010s. The frets were nicely rounded and polished, and the nut is cut well. No flaws.

It's a strat, you can't really kill it. I swapped the standard buttons for straplocks. I thought they should have been there to begin with.

No problems yet, and I hope I don't have to deal with Fender if there are any problems. I'm sure my local dealer will be able to take care of me.

A great guitar for me. Don't hold your breath on future collectability, since Fender seems to crank out another "Anniversary" instrument ever year. Good thing there wasn't a premium for anything other than the upgraded pickups and case, AND I didn't have to mod it.